Thoughts on iPad Mini 7 vs Boox Air4 C

#Gadgets

Why these devices? I don't actually need a 10" screen. I want something ~7-8 just a bit bigger than my Kindle. A Few Years With Kindle Paperwhite 7th

The only fresh Boox is Air4 C which is 10", so I decided to consider it for a purchase.

Let's be honest.

I'm not gonna draw.

What I'm gonna do is to read articles & books and drop some note/highlights.

Sketch UI Wireframes? Maaaybe.

The problem with theaniPad is that on my laptop I can do everything I can do on iPad but better. Even if I get a Bluetooth keyboard for iPad (which would make it bulky) Any keyboard-related use case is better handled by a laptop. Period.

I don't think it will be convenient to use Obsidian on iPad except probably for capturing drafts or reading later links. (No need for it since I already do it on iPhone) When using Obsidian on my Mac, I use hotkeys and sliding panes and it's crazy efficient. On an iPad, it will not be that.

I don't wanna watch videos on my iPad or play games.

It doesn't look like the iPad is going to improve any of my current use cases or introduce any new ones. Just another gadget to charge.

I had a sad experience with a 10" iPad a few years ago. I think it's still on the same bookshelf I left it in my old apartment.

From that standpoint, Boox is a better choice since it actually improves my existing use cases (reading) and probably introduces something new (note-taking in a handwritten form)

At the same time, the truth is that the iPad is simply a better device. Hardware + software wise especially if I consider it as a part of the ecosystem.

Boox is Android which means that the whole integration headache is on me. Apart from this here is a breakdown of Boox Air4 C Cons that I considered

So.

Afterall.

I got an iPad.

It would simply be more versatile with an order of magnitude better overall UX due to a more powerful hardware and ecosystem.

The LCD display is the only iPad's cons that I decided not to care about until it would start to bring inconveniences. I think it will be better than Boox in any of my use cases.

References

Should you buy an Onyx Boox E-ink Tablet or an iPad? - YouTube